With the temps in the 50's here in Maine yesterday, I planned to install a candy board in my TBH. But, upon opening the hive, I discovered that sometime after I had winterized it (around Thanksgiving), the bees had absconded. There was just a small handful of dead bees in the hive. So now I have the candy board that I made, and am not sure how to store it for later use. I will be putting a new package of bees in the TBH in April, and plan to use it then. Any suggestions?

01-15-2013, 02:37 PM

danno

Re: Storing Candy Boards

I just put candy in a bucket no lid and leave it in the honey house until next fall. As for your new package feed syrup not candy

01-15-2013, 07:22 PM

Colleen O.

Re: Storing Candy Boards

I put the other half of mine in the freezer (wrapped in foil and in a Ziploc freezer bag).

Sorry about your loss! Hope the new package does well!!

01-16-2013, 05:49 AM

Dave Warren

Re: Storing Candy Boards

I made candy but didn't use it till last week, when it was 50 F. so I took it out of the freezer placed it on top of the hive, and wow, were they hungry, between orientation flights and watching them eat, it was a great day.
When the temperature dropped again, I took my baggies out put the board in it, and back in the freezer it went.
Just waiting for a nice warm day before spring when I can place my candy boards out for them to snack on.

01-16-2013, 07:11 AM

tefer2

Re: Storing Candy Boards

Why didn't you just leave it on the hive?

01-16-2013, 07:57 AM

danno

Re: Storing Candy Boards

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Warren

I made candy but didn't use it till last week, when it was 50 F. so I took it out of the freezer placed it on top of the hive, and wow, were they hungry, between orientation flights and watching them eat, it was a great day.
When the temperature dropped again, I took my baggies out put the board in it, and back in the freezer it went.
Just waiting for a nice warm day before spring when I can place my candy boards out for them to snack on.

This time of the year any sweet placed out is going to get beat on. It does mean they are hungry. They are just trying to get it back to there hive before there neighbor does. Its what they do. I also have to ask why you pulled it back out? I also dont understand the reason for wraping and freezing? I make a couple of hundred pounds of candy every year. I put a couple of 4 X 8 X 2" blocks on every colony around the
1st of Nov. These stay on until spring. Most of the colonies dont finish them so I go yard to yard pulling remaining chunks and full blocks off just tosing them in a buckets. These are stored until next nov and reapplied

01-16-2013, 08:06 AM

tefer2

Re: Storing Candy Boards

I collect my unused candy boards and melt them into syrup in the spring. Just add a little water and mix them up with a 1/2 drill and a paddle bit.